Abstract

BENCOMO HERNANDEZ, Antonio A et al. Detection and quantification of autoantibodies in the red cells of patients with Coombs negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [online]. 2005, vol.21, n.3. ISSN 0864-0289.

18 patients, 15 adults and 3 children, with hemolytic anemia and suspicion of immune etiology were studied. A favorable response to prednisone was observed among them. All the patients had had negative results in the direct and indirect antiglobulin test (Coombs). The blood specimens were applied the direct polybrene technique (DPT), the detection of antibodies in the eulate of the red cells by the microplaque technique (Mp), and the quantification of autoantibodies associated with red cells by ELISA. These patients accounted for 13.3 % of the total of AIHA cases diagnosed. The direct polybrene test detected the antibodies in 5 cases (28 %), whereas Mp tested positive in 11 patients (61 %), and ELISA showed autoantibodies in all the patients. ELISA revealed the presence of IgG autoantibodies in 17 cases (94.4 %), of IgA in 8 patients (44.4 %), and of IgM in one case (5.5 %). In 10 patients (55.5 %), the quantification of IgG autoantibodies behaved in a range from 200 to 460 molecules per red cell. In the rest, values over 900 molecules per red cell were obtained. The results demonstrated that ELISA is particularly useful for the detection and quantification of autoantibodies in the red cells of the patients with Coombs negative AIHA, and that it provides a procedure for the immunohematological diagnosis of this entity

Keywords : Coombs negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia; ELISA; antibody quantification.